Starting motor attachment



1956 J. E. CRITCHFIELD 2,760,377

STARTING MOTOR ATTACHMENT Filed Nov. 2, 1954 14 Fig. 1.

' i 5o. 8 2 0 4 V H 46// V 5' 8 1 INVENZOR EOE, @mtchfzeld United StatesPatent STARTING MOTOR ATTACHMENT John E. Critchiield, Jewell, Hans,assignor of one-half to Leta Collins, awler City, Kans.

Application November 2, 1954, Serial No. 466,348 4 Claims. (Cl. 74-8)This invention relates to starting devices for starting internalcombustion engines particularly of farm machinery and equipment, such asair compressors, welders, and the like, and in particular a small motorpivotally mounted on a platform of an engine with a belt trained overpulleys on the motor and engine and with a handle having a switchtherein extended from the motor wherein in drawing the handle away fromthe engine the switch may be closed to start the motor, and withcontinued movement of the handle slack is taken up in the belt wherebythe motor drives the engine thereby starting the engine.

The purpose of this invention is to provide means for connecting astarting motor to an engine with a belt whereby slack may be manuallytaken up in the belt to actuate the engine by the motor and wherein,upon starting of the engine, tension in the belt is manually relievedand the belt is retained in arcuate shoes on the engine and motor as theengine continues to operate.

The conventional type of starter, such as the Bendix, uses meshing gearswith a pinion on a spring actuated coupling member, and such devices aretoo costly for farm machinery, and particularly for equipment that issubjected to the weather continuously.

With this thought in mind this invention contemplates a startingassembly wherein the gears are replaced with a belt and pulleys and withmeans for moving the motor away from the engine to increase tension inthe belt for starting, and which is also adapted to move the motortoward the engine to relieve the tension so that the engine may continueto run with the motor stationary.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide a manuallyactuated starting connection between a starting motor and an enginewhich makes it possible to eliminate the conventional meshing gears andclutch assembly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a starting assembly forfarm equipment and the like in which the starting elements are adaptedto be installed on machinery now in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a starting connectionbetween a motor and an engine that is particularly adapted for farmmachinery, such as compressors, welders, and the like, in which thestarting connection is of a simple and economical construction.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the inventionembodies an internal combustion engine having a pulley with asubstantially semi-circular shoe spaced therefrom on one end, a motorpivotally mounted adjacent the engine and also having a pulley with asubstantially semi-circular shoe on one end, a belt trained over thepulleys of the engine and motor, a solenoid actuated switch positionedon the motor mounting, and a handle having a button actuated switchtherein conected to the motor mounting and adapted to be manuallyactuated to place tension in the belt for operating the engine by themotor, and also adapted to be retained in a position wherein the belt isis operating.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view illustrating the improved startermotor mounting, parts of an engine adapted to be started by the motorbeing broken away.

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the starter motor assemblyshowing an engine and a starter motor with a handle for moving the motorand showing the motor in the inoperative position wherein a beltconnecting the motor to the engine is slack, or disengaged from pulleysof the motor and engine.

While one embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the abovereferred to drawings, it is to be understood that they are merely forthe purpose of illustration, and that various changes in constructionmay be resorted to in the course of manufacture in order that theinvention may be utilized to the best advantage according tocircumstances which may arise, without in any manner departing from thespirit and intention of the device, which is to be limited only inaccordance with the appended claims. And while there is stated theprimary field of utility of the invention, it remains obvious that itmay be employed in any other capacity wherein it may be foundapplicable.

In the accompanying drawings, and in the following specification, thesame reference characters are used to designate the same parts andelements throughout, and in which the numeral it) refers to theinvention in its entiret numeral 12 indicating a platform upon which theengine and motor are mounted, numeral 14 indicating an internalcombustion engine, numeral 16 a motor for starting the engine, numeral18 a belt adapted to be trained over a pulley 20 on the engine, and alsoover a pulley 22 on the motor, numeral 24 a solenoid switch positionedon the motor mounting, numeral 26 a handle for moving the motor inrelation to the engine, and numeral 28 a spring clip for retaining thehandle and motor with the belt slack.

The pulley 24? is mounted on the shaft 30 of the engine and an arcuateshoe 32, mounted on an end plate 34 that is secured to the engine withbolts 36, is spaced from the pulley and positioned to receive the beltwhen the belt is slack and free of the pulley, as shown in Figure 2. Theshoe is provided with fingers 38 which extend over the edge of the beltfor retaining the belt in the shoe.

The motor 16 is also provided with an arcuate shoe, as indicated by thenumeral 40, and the shoe, which is mounted on a stationary part of themotor housing, is spaced from the pulley 22 and positioned to receivethe belt when the belt is slack.

The motor 16 is positioned in a cradle 42 that is pivotally mounted onthe platform 12, the platform being provided with an L-shaped bar 44having hubs 46 and 48 at the ends and the cradle having a plate 50extended downwardly therefrom and being provided with a hub 52 throughwhich a pin 54, pivotally mounted in the hubs 46 and 48, extends. Oneend of the pin is provided with a head 56 and a cotter pin 58 extendsthrough an opening in the opposite end.

One side of the cradle 42 is provided with a flange 6t and the oppositeside is provided with slots 62 through which lugs 64 on the ends ofstraps 66 and 63 extend, and the opposite ends of the straps areprovided with flange 7t) and 72 respectively, that extend over theflange 60 of the cradle, and that are secured to the flange 60 withbolts 74 and 76.

The handle 26, which is tubular, is secured to the strap 66, such as bywelding, and the upper end, which is adapted to be held in the springclip 28, is provided with slack while the engine a switch 78 that isadapted to be actuated by a button 80 for completing a circuit to thesolenoid 24.

The solenoid switch 24, which is secured to the motor cradle 42 withbolts 82, is provided with terminals 84, 8,6 and 88, the terminal 84being connected by a wire 90 to a terminal 92 of the motor 16, theopposite terminal of which is grounded through the platform 12 asindicated at the point 94, the terminal 86 being connected to oneterminal of the switch 78 in the handle by a wire 96, and the terminal88 being connected by a wire 98 to one side of a battery 100 theopposite side of which is connected to a ground, as indicated by thenumeral 102. The side of the battery to which the wire 98 is connectedis also connected by a wire 1&4 to the terminal of the switch 78opposite to that to which the wire 96 is connected.

By this means pressing on the button 89 as the handle is withdrawn fromthe spring clip energizes the solenoid 24 closing the switch thereof,and completing a circuit to the motor 16, starts the motor operating.With the motor operating continued outward movement of the handle placestension in the belt 18 whereby the engine shaft is rotated, so that theengine is started. With the engine operating the handle is replaced inthe spring clip 28 and in bringing the centers of the pulleys towardeach other slack is provided in the belt and the belt is received by theshoes 32 and 40, whereby the belt and motor remain stationary as theengine continues to operate.

From the foregoing specification, it will become apparent that theinvention disclosed will adequately accomplish the functions for whichit has been designed and in an economical manner, and that itssimplicity, accuracy, and ease of operation are such as to provide arelatively inexpensive device, considering what it will accomplish andthat it will find an important place in the art to which it appertainswhen once placed on the market.

It is thought that persons skilled in the art to which the inventionrelates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the inventionafter considering the description in connection with the drawings.Therefore, a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Changes in shape, size, and rearrangement of details and parts such ascome within the purview of the invention claimed may be resorted to, inactual practice, if desired.

Having now described the invention that, which is claimed to be new anddesired to be procured by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a starting motor assembly, the combination which comprises aplatform, said platform being adapted to retain an internal combustionengine, a pulley adapted to be positioned on a shaft of an engine onsaid platform, an arcuate shoe adapted to be mounted on an engine on theplatform and positioned in spaced relation to the pulley, a cradlepivotally mounted on the platform, a motor having a pulley on, a shaftthereof positioned in said cradle, means for clamping the motor in thecradle, an arcuate shoe mounted on the motor and positioned in spacedrelation to the pulley thereof, a belt trained over the pulleys of theengine and motor, a handle having a switch therein extended from thecradle, and a solenoid actuated switch positioned on the cradle andadapted to be actuated by the switch of the handle for closing a circuitto the motor, said handle being adapted to be held by a spring clip withthe belt slack and retained in the shoes with the engine operating.

2. A starting motor assembly for an internal combustion enginecomprising a supporting platform adapted to support an internalcombustion engine, having a crank shaft, a pulley fixed on said shaft,belt retaining means disposed concentric to a portion of said pulley, acradle, means pivotally mounting the cradle on the platform alongside ofthe internal combustion engine for movement laterally toward and awayfrom the internal combustion engine, an electric motor mounted in thecradle, a pulley driven by said motor and laterally aligned with thepulley on the engine shaft, belt retaining means for said motor pulley,a belt connecting said pulleys and held by said retaining means when ina slack position for guided movement onto the pulleys, a handleextending from the cradle for swinging the cradle and the motorlaterally toward and away from the engine, a switch on the handle, aswitch means on the cradle actuated by said switch for closing a circuitto the motor and releasable holding means engaging the handle forholding said handle and cradle in an inoperative position, said handlemoving the cradle and motor away from the engine to tighten the belt.

3. A starting motor assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said cradleincludes a split clamp fixedly circumposed on the motor and having atubular member depending therefrom and arranged parallel with the motorand said means mounting the cradle on the platform includes said tubularmember, a support upstanding from the platform and having axially spacedapart and aligned hollow shafts between which the tubular member isaxially disposed and a pin fitted in said hollow shafts and the tubularmember.

4. A starting motor assembly for an internal combustion engine having acrank shaft comprising a pulley adapted to be fixed on said shaft, beltretaining means associated with said pulley, an electric motor having ashaft provided with a pulley, .belt retaining means associated with saidlast pulley, means mounting said motor alongside the engine with thepulleys. in lateral alignment and with the motor being swingablelaterally toward and away from the engine, a belt connecting saidpulleys and being held by said retaining means, when slack, for guidedmovement onto the pulleys, when tightened by movement. of the motor awayfrom the. engine, a handle connected to the motor for swinging it towardand. away from the engine to selectively tighten and slacken the belt, asolenoid actuated switch means carried by the motor and adapted to closea circuit to the motor, a manually operated switch on said handle forclosing said switch means, and spring clip means adapted to be mountedon the engine in which the handle is releasably fixed for holding themotor and belt in a belt slackened position.

References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,366,271 Matlock Ian. 18, 1921 1,381,664 Rogers June '14, 19211,719,102 Dickey July 2, 1929 1,882,022 Leyvastre Oct. 11, 19322,522,503 Dodwell Sept. .19, 1950

